Linares R6: Topalov wins again, leads world rankings

2/20/2010 – It was a very complicated game, and with Veselin Topalov pressing hard and Francisco Vallejo in terrible time trouble the Spaniard, who had had winning chances, blundered a full rook. This third victory put the Bulgarian GM a point and a half ahead of the field – and two points ahead of Magnus Carlsen in the live world rankings. Game with commentary by GM Anish Giri.

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Ciudad de Linares 2010

The traditional Linares tournament is taking place in Andalucia, Spain, from
February 13 to 24, 2010. It has been shrunk down to six players – in 2009
there were eight, and in previous
years there have been up to 14 players. The category this time is 21, with
an average Elo of 2757 (and no player below 2700). Time controls as two hours
for 40 moves, then one hour for 20, then 20 minutes for the rest of the game,
with a 30 second increment (starting from move 61).

Round six report

By GM Anish Giri

Today in sixth round two games were drawn: Gashimov couldn't get anything against
Gelfand's Petroff. His new idea idea 16.a4 was too harmless.

Boris Gelfand of Israel

Vugar Gashimov of Azerbaijan

Grischuk however came close to beating Aronian. It was some kind of Ragozin
Defence (the variation that was recently employed couple of times by Kramnik)
and Aronian got a passive but solid position. Levon simplified things with 16...b5!?,
but I think that it was 20...a6 and 21...Qb5 that was to blame for the bad endgame
that he found himself in (20...Rc8 should have been level). Grischuk had rook
and knight against bishop and knight, with three against four pawns, but Aronian
managed to save it. I don't know if Grischuk had a win or a better try in the
endgame. [Click to replay]

Topalov won his third white game – this time he beat Vallejo –
and now he is virtually world's number one again!

1.c4. English Opening. A logical choice for Topalov, who just wants
a game, not a theoretical battle. 1...Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5
Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nb6. This is one of the main position of the English opening.
7.a3!? Not the very main move in this position, but also a logical one.
White wants to advance a3, b4, even before castling. 7...g5!? A fairly
well-known idea which in this position turned out to be a novelty. Black just
wants to advance g4, h5-h4, using the fact that bishop on c1 is still not in
the game and the position is semi-closed. Recently in Wijk aan Zee, Shirov tried
the same plan against Van Wely and achieved success. 8.d3 g4 9.Nd2 h5 10.b4
h4. That's what I told you, right? 11.Bb2. The black plan is a bit
risky, because he has lost four tempos and it's not entirely clear whether he
is actually treatening anything with those scary looking pawns on g4, h4. 11...Rh6!?

When White put his bishop on b2 (even though Topalov won yesterday, he has
probably realized that bishops on b2 are better than queens) Black decided to
move his rook away from the x-ray. 11...Bg7 would be another way to
solve the a1-h8 problem, but then Black would have a slightly stupid bishop,
and the c5 square could be weak (Nb3-c5). 12.Nb3. 12.Nc4! seems a bit
more logical to me, and now I don't know what Topalov disliked and what Vallejo
intended, but White seems to be better. For example: 12...Nd4 (12...Bg7
looks a bit strange after Black just playd Rh6. However it might be the
best. So I am not sure if Rh6!? was as strong as it looks.) would fail
to 13.e3 h3 14.Be4 f5 15.Nxe5! with advantage. 12...Nd4. The interesting
12...a5! could be very strong. Now after 13.Bxc6+ (13.b5 Nd4 and a5,
b5 is clearly in Black's favour, since White has no c5 square anymore.; 13.bxa5
Nxa5 14.0-0 is possible too, but it doesn't impress me.) 13...bxc6
white has Nxa5, bxa5 or even Bc1!?, but I believe Black has at least enough
compensation for the pawn. 13.Nc5. Consistant, but I think that
the simple 13.0-0! was stronger. Now White wants to exchange on d4, followed
by Ne4-c5, and after eventual e3 Black would be in trouble. And since Black
can't evacuate his king, White should be better. A sample line could be: 13...hxg3
14.hxg3 c6 15.Nxd4! exd4 16.Ne4 followed by e3 and an advantage for White. 13...c6
14.e3 Ne6

15.0-0!? A pawn sacrifice, but in fact there is no other way for White
to fight for initiative. 15.Nxe6 Bxe6 16.0-0 and black has a comfortable
position, after Qg5-h5 and 0-0-0. 15...hxg3. There is no point in waiting
anymore, since White has castled. 16.fxg3!? A very logical move. Now
the rook on f1 is smiling at the f7 pawn. 16.hxg3 could be possible
too 16...Nxc5 17.bxc5 Bxc5 18.Ne4 Bd6 and now some move like 19.a4!? with compensation.
However looking at the rook on f1 I understand why Topalov took 16.fxg3! 16...Nxc5
17.bxc5 Bxc5 18.Qe2. 18.d4 Seems more energetic, but Black is more than
okay either after the simple 18...exd4 (or after a bit more clever 18...Be7!?
) 19.Ne4 Be7 20.Bxd4 Be6

18...Be7. Fearless 18...f5! would be more powerful and strong.
Now I think White would be left with no compensation. So we should conclude
that 13.Nc5 was not a very good move. 19.Rad1. 19.Ne4 was interesting
with the idea 19...f5 20.Nf2 Qd6 21.e4 and complicated play.; But the strongest
was a little computer move: 19.a4! a5 is practically forced and now 20.Ne4 is
a slightly more favourable version, since the a4 square is covered and also
the knight on b6 is a bit weakened. Both details could be important in complications
some five moves later. the position is complicated and more or less balanced.
19...f5! is still strong. 20.Qf2 Be6 21.e4! trying to complicate
matters. 21...Rh5 22.Ne2 Qc7 23.exf5. 23.d4 only looks strong, in fact
after 23...Nc4 followed by Bg5! Black is much better. 23...Rxf5 24.Qe3

24...Na4. 24...0-0-0 was simpler and safer. After 25.Rxf5 Bxf5 26.Bxe5
Qd7 Black is clearly better (the threat is 27...Nc4!), but if White will not
blunder the fight will go on. 25.Qh6! Now Black has to move his king,
without touching his rook (I mean he cannot castle, because of Qxe6). This is
always psychologically unpleasant especially in time trouble, which Vallejo
was in. 25...Kd7 26.Rxf5. 26.Ba1 saving the bishop was possible, but
then Black could consolidate with 26...Raf8! 26...Nxb2 is liked by computer,
but now Black will have some problems with his light squares. 27.Rdf1 Bxf5
28.Rxf5 Nxd3 29.h4!

Here Vallejo was very short of time, and even though objectively he had an
advantage, the result was unpredictable. The fact that Paco had a lot of more
or less equally strong possibilites was on the Bulgarian's side. 29...Qd6.
29...Qb6+ was the strongest, but it is hard to see that after 30.Kh2 Qb2
31.Qe3 Qxa3 32.Be4 Black gets a big advantage with the only 32...Nb2! 30.Qg7
Qxa3 31.Kh2! Very practical, even though objectively Qxg4 was probably strongest.

31...a5. Vallejo had just some seconds for the remaining nine moves
and obviously it was very hard not to make a mistake in this highly complicated
position. 31...Qb4!? taking the e4 square away and protecting the g4
pawn seems to give Black an advantage in view of 32.Rf7 Re8 33.h5 Qc4! 34.h6
Ne1! but in fact, 32.Rf1! with idea of Rd1 gives White a lot of counterplay.
32.Rf7. 32.Be4 was objectively best, but I think Veselin was already
trying to flag Paco, so he tried to make some not very obvious tricky moves.
After 32.Be4 the position would be dynamically equal. 32...a4. Here
32...Qb4! was also strong, but here too White gets some play with the clever
33.Nc3! although if Black would not be too much shocked by this move he would
find 33...Ne1! 34.Be4 Nf3+ 35.Bxf3 gxf3 36.Rxf3 Re8 with an unclear position,
where White's h-pawn is trying to compensate a5, b7 and c6. Objectively Black
is better, but White is maybe surviving. 33.h5. Topalov finally got the
chance to get an advantage, but now he blew it with this simple and logical
move. Maybe he was a bit too concerned about the last seconds that were slowly
disappearing from Vallejo's clock. I am sure he could have found 33.Nc3
Here Black seems to be in trouble, since now the white knight enters the game
and the black monarch would be feeling very uncomfortable. The threat is in
fact unobvious Qxg4 Kc7 Qc4 and even the clever 33...Nf2 does not help Black
(33...Re8 34.Ne4 Kd8 35.Nf6 is also bad for black.) 34.Qxe5!
and Black is doomed. 33...Ne1. Again 33...Qb4 was the move. Black would
be better again.

34.Qxg4+. 34.Be4! was strong, with simple idea of Bf5+. Maybe
Veselin didn't like the fact that now his king was a bit exposed. Now Black
can choose which material he wants to give. The best choices are: 34...Re8
(34...Nf3+ 35.Kg2 Nd4 36.Nxd4 exd4 and here both Bf5+ and h6 would give
White the advantage, although Black is able to fight on in both cases.) 35.Qxe5
Qd6 36.Bf5+ Kc7 37.Qa5+ Kb8 38.Qxe1 Qd5 and Black is fighting, but after Bg6
White is probably able to stop the a pawn. 34...Kc7 35.Qe6 Re8 36.Qxe5+ Kb6
37.Rf5. Threatening mate in one. Sounds funny, but with four seconds on
the clock for four moves it is a serious threat. 37...Qb4. Not blundering
... yet. 38.Qe3+

38...Bc5?? There was no reason to give up a whole rook, but with 2-3
seconds for three moves everything can happen. 38...Kc7 would be equal
39.Qe5+ Kb6 40.Qe3+ Kc7 White can try 41.Nc3 Nxg2 42.Kxg2 but Black should be
ok. Guess what my engine says? Yes! 0.00.

39.Qxe8 Nxg2 40.Kxg2 a3. Well, this highly interesting game was far
from ideal, but it was very complicated and tense (like Topalov-Grischuk from
previous round). The game was basically decided by the horrible time trouble
of Vallejo, but it was Topalov who forced his opponent to think so much.
1-0. [Click to replay]

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